Gas tokch lighter



sept. 18, Q v MALMQUls-r GAS TORCH LIGHTER Filed sept. 3, 1943 PatentedSept. 18, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAS TORCH LIGHTER Oscar V.Malmquist, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application September 3, 1943, Serial No. 501,060

4 Claims.

My present invention relates to improved methods of and apparatus forlighting gas-burning torches such as are employed in the welding andbrazing arts, and has among its important objectives the provision ofimproved means and methods whereby such torches may be more easily andquickly ignited than by previously employed methods and apparatus.

As is well known, gas-burning torches of the kind employed in thewelding and brazing arts, for example, must be frequently lighted andrelighted during the course of a days Work, and close observationsindicate clearly that much actual production time is lost by workers inthese elds through time consumed in the lighting `and relighting oftheir torches when previous apparatus and methods of ignition areemployed. I find that one of the most commonly accepted devices forigniting such torches is in the'nature of hand-held and hand-operatedsparkersof the type wherein a int is moved over sharp steel edges toproduce sparks of hot metal in the presence of gas emitted from thetorch. These so-called sparkers or sparking lighters have hitherto beenheld in one of the operators hands during the lighting operation, whilethe torch was held in the other hand; and, of course, this procedurerequires the temporary release by the operator of any work piece whichhe may have been holding with one hand.

Specific objects of the invention are, therefore, the provision ofimproved method and apparatus whereby the Welder may quickly and easilyproduce ignition sparks in the presence of gas emitted from his torchand thereby ignite the torch gas, all by the use of the hand holding thetorch. To this end, the invention provides a novel sparking type oflighter that is secured to a fixed support, such as a floor or workbench in a convenient location with respect to the operators work, andis designed and arranged to be manipulated by engagement of the torchitself; the invention also providing a novel method comprising themanipulation of such a lighter by direct engagement with the movableelement of the lighter and movements imparted thereto through the mediumof the torch.

The above and other important objects and advantages of the inventionwill be made clear in the following specification, claims, and appendeddrawing.

In the accompanying drawing, like characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

embodiment of a lighter made in accordance with the invention andfurther indicating, by dotted lines, the preferred method of operatingthe lighter;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig.1; I

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l,but showingxthe torch in full lines; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3and looking downwardly with respect to Fig. 3.

The preferred embodiment of the lighter illustrated comprises a ilatsheet metal base element 6 having an integrally formed upturned guardflange l, a roughened steel element 8 in the nature of a le toothed onits upper surface,A a int 9 for cooperation with the file 8, and aspring ilint holder II). The base element 6 is shown asbeing anchored toa xed base of support, such as a work bench II, through the medium ofnails, screws, or the like I2. The guard 'flange 'I eX- tends completelyaroundone segmental end of the base element 6 and is extended for aconsiderable distance along one side thereof. The flint 9 is directlymounted in a head I3 applied to the free end oi the flint carryingspring I 0. At its other end, spring ilint carrier I0 is bent downwardlyat I4, transversely at I5, and upwardly at I6 to provide a U-shapedanchoring portion which transversely embraces one end portion of thebase element 6; the base portion 6 and extended side of the guard flange1 being inwardly pressed to provide channels Il and I8 for receivinganchoring portions i4 and I5 o'f the spring flint carrier. The file 8 isseated on and'extends across the upwardly pressed base Yportion formingchannel I'I, and is provided with a notch I9 at one end to receive thein-pressed portion forming channel I8, and is notched at its other endto receive the upturnedA end I6 of the spring flintl holder I0.

Initially, the upturned end I6 of the spring I0 forms a right anglewithrespect to the transversely extending portion I5 thereof, but afterapplication of the filethe upturned end I6 is further bent inwardly tolock the file in position. The iile is thus placed underlongitudinalsqueezing pressure which, due to the close fitting of itsnotched ends, prevents lateral tipping action thereof, as well asvertical displacement.

The flint 9 rests upon the toothed surface of Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of the preferred 65 the le 8 and the Spring int hOldel' which iScoiled intermediate its ends normally maintains the flint adjacent oneextreme end of the file; and, in fact, normally maintains the head I3against the upstanding portion I6, which latter serves as a stop toprevent the spring I from carrying the flint beyond that end of thefile. Now, it will be clear that movement of the flint over the file,against the action of the spring I0, will produce sparks of hot metalcapable of igniting gas from. the welders torch.

The operative end ofV a conventional welders torch is indicated as anentirety by 2l), by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and by full lines in Fig.ll; and this torch may be assumed to be connected to a conventionalsource of gas supply not shown, and

which Will be emitted from the free end ofY thev tip of the torch. NOWyby reference particularly to Figs. 1, 3, and 4, it will be seen' thatthe spring flint holder is bent adjacent the head I3v toprovide a notch2| for receiving the free end Portion ofthe tip of the welding torch 20.

' The improved method of lighting the torch comprises' engaging the freeend of the torch tiD with the notched portion 2I of the flint holder,whichportion 2l is closely .adjacent the flint 9 and file .8; and thenby movement of the torch tip, moving the flint 9 over the le 8 againstthe action of the spring I0, while gas is being emitted from the end ofthe torch. Actuation of the lighter in this manner requires the use ofonly the operators hand already engaged in holding the torch; and, ofcourse, the operation may be repeated as many times as is necessary toignite the torch. Due to the location of the notch 2l and consequentlocation of the gas-emitting end of the torch immediately adjacent theiiint 9 and `ille 8, 4gas from the torch will be concentrated about thearea from which sparks are emitted, and ignition willA take place veryrapidly. Even in locations where there is considerable draft which wouldtend to carry the gas away from the sparking area, the guard flange Iwill offer sufficient protection to insure rapid ignition byconcentrating or pocketing the gas in the critical area.

' Fromthe drawing and above description thereof, it will be seen thatthat part of the spring flint carrier I Il lying above and in parallelrelation to the base element 6 comprises connected opposite legs Illaand Illb, and integrally formed coupling coil portion Illc, verticalleg-action portions I!! and" I6, and a transverse'horizontal portion orleg I5. It will be further seen that the notched ends of the lileelement 8 receive the vertical portions or legs I4 and I6 of the springilint holder, and

'are tightly clamped therebetween. While in the i preferred embodimentof the invention the flange :'I is vprovided for the purpose ofpocketing or concentrating gases in the critical area, Yit will he clearthat this flange could be omitted without defeating the `novel manner ofanchoring the spring flint holder between the legs I4 and l5 of liberalsense to include any element which will function as a flint to producesparks when brought into frictional engagement with another element, andthe term ille is likewise used in a broad and liberal sense to includeany device which will cooperate with a hint-acting element to producesuch sparks as are required for gas ignition.

What I claim is:

1. A lighter of the kind described comprising a substantially flat baseelement adapted to be secured to a suitable base of support, a lighterille extending transversely across said base, a flint carrying springcomprising connected opposite legs overlying the base, a flint carriedby the end of one leg of said spring flint carrier and overlying theille, the other leg of the said spring flint carrier being formed toprovide downwardly, transversely, and upwardly extending portions, thesaid transversely extending portion extending under said base elementdirectly beneath the lile, and said downwardly and upwardly extendingportions vengaging opposite edges of the base p0rtion and exertingsqueezing pressure on the opposite ends of the file', whereby to anchorthe spring flint holder and ille to the base.

2. The structure defined in 'claim l, in which the opposite ends of thefile are notched to receive the saiddownwardly and upwardly extendingportions of the spring flint holder, and in further combination with agas-coniining guard llange upstanding from the edge of the base andextendingy between one notched end of the file r and the downwardlyextending portion of the spring flint holder, said iiange being formedwith an in-pressed channel receiving the downwardly extended portion ofthe spring flint holder and which in-pressed channel is directlyreceived in the adjacent notched end of the file.

3. `A lighter of the kind described comprising a substantiallyilatelongated base element adapted to be secured to a suitable base ofsupport, a lighter iile extending transversely across and anchored tosaid base adjacent one end of Jrhe elongated base element, a flintcarrying spring overlying said base element and comprising connectedopposite legs, a ilint carried by 'one end of one leg of said springflint carrier and disposed over the said le, the other leg of the springflint carrier being anchored t0 said base elementv and a gas-coniiningguard flange upstanding from the margin of the base element andextending around the end portion thereof adjacent the lighter le.

4. A lighter ofy the type described comprising a substantially flat baseadapted to be secured to a suitable relatively stationary support, anabrasive surface extending transversely across and anchored to said baseadjacent one end thereof, a swinging carrier for a spark emittingelement said ,carrier being anchored to the base and having a free endoverhanging the abrasive surface, a spark emitting element carried bysaid free end portion of the swinging carrier for rubbing movement onthe abrasive, said swinging carrier being provided adjacent its free endwith a torch tip receiving and guiding recess and gas confining `flangemeans on the lighter assembly for restraining gas emitted by the torchtip, to the region of the spark emittingr element.

OSCAR V. MALMQUIST.

